File photo of AAP Chief Arvind Kejriwal.
today flatly denied that his Aam Aadmi Party or AAP could join the Third Front to keep the BJP from forming the government.
"There is absolutely no question of supporting third front. Media shud stop playing dirty games on the eve of elections (sic)," tweeted Mr Kejriwal, 44, who is contesting his first national election from Varanasi against
Narendra Modi, the BJP's prime ministerial candidate, who has also never run for Parliament before.
Mr Kejriwal's emphatic clarification came after the Press trust of India reported that Gopal Rai, a leader from Mr Kejriwal's party, had said, "Yes, we may extend issue based support if there is a situation that demands our support to a Third Front government." (
India Votes 2014: Full coverage)
The Third Front refers to a cluster of parties that are not affiliated to either of the two political behemoths, the Congress and the BJP. The group includes the Left and regional powerhouses like
Mulayam Singh Yadav, though they have not formed a pre-election alliance formally.
Varanasi votes tomorrow, along with 40 other seats on the last of nine phases of polling in a mammoth election that has spanned six weeks.
The BJP, led by Mr Modi, is expected to win the maximum seats though it is not clear if it will land a majority with its existing allies.
Mr Kejriwal's AAP performed strongly enough in the December state elections in Delhi to keep the BJP from forming the government.